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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29855370">protect you, like you're more than my little brother</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sagewillow/pseuds/sagewillow'>sagewillow</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Eventual Happy Ending, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Injury, M/M, Mugging, Protectiveness, Robbery, explicit descriptions of people being beaten up</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:27:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,986</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29855370</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sagewillow/pseuds/sagewillow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p><em>This could be worse,</em> Felix tried to convince himself. <em>They're going to leave me alone after this, they don't have a weapon, they're not going to hurt me...</em></p><p>He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a tug at his jeans and noticed his top button had been popped open. His hand flew down to rip the other man's grasp off him, looking up to meet his gaze with cold fear. He sucked in a breath, his body seizing up.</p><p>(Felix is mugged and assaulted on the way home from the convenience store, but thankfully his hyung was there to protect him eventually.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bang Chan &amp; Lee Felix, Bang Chan/Lee Felix</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>153</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>protect you, like you're more than my little brother</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Before you read this - I suggest that if you are triggered by anything related to muggings, physical assault and implied attempted sexual assault, please read no further! I do write about these topics explicitly. There is no explicit description of sexual assault, but it is suggested that sexual assault is attempted.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Why do I have to be so bad at paper scissors rock?</em>
</p><p>That was what Felix was thinking as he fumbled with the two plastic bags full of snacks that he'd just picked up from the closest convenient store, his muscles straining to carry it all after he'd been in dance practise all day. He stepped out of the small, poorly-lit shop and breathed in the cold night air, adjusting his grip on the heavy bags again before heading back to his dormitory. He was also thinking <em>why did all of the members want their own different drinks?</em> as the glass bottles in the bags knocked together, the rattling noises bouncing off the alleyway walls. </p><p>He had to take the long way back, down a twisting maze of alleyways, in case he ran into fans or media and he definitely wasn't ready to face them. He tried to pull his beanie further over his messy blonde hair using his shoulder, because his hands were full, but he gave up pretty quickly. He often opted to bake something when his members had a sweet-tooth, though he didn't mind running down to the convenience store, but in that moment he just wanted to be home to rest his aching joints and strained muscles. He also wasn't a big fan of the dark, and the route he was taking was definitely not well illuminated. He pushed his fears aside, scoffing at how childish he was being. Because what kind of adult was afraid of the dark? If he told his other members he'd probably be laughed at or teased.</p><p>Suddenly, Felix heard a noise from behind a garbage bin, making his heart jump in his chest. <em>It's just a cat or something, at the very worst it's probably a rat, and it's not going to bother you.</em> He tried to reassure himself, but he felt his grip on the bags tighten, bringing them closer to his body as he passed by. He couldn't see much in the dark, but the only thing he could make out was what looked like a few garbage bags leaning against the bin, until he realised that it <em>wasn't</em> garbage bags but a figure wrapped up in a black coat. His breath caught in his throat when he realised he wasn't alone in the alleyway after all.</p><p>Part of him wanted to just keep walking, because it was probably just a homeless person that didn't want to be disturbed. But he couldn't help the nagging part inside of him that had to make sure the person was okay, that they were safe, so he could go home without regrets. Because what if they weren't okay? What if they were too cold, or injured, or hadn't eaten? He considered what snacks he could give up to the person, approaching them carefully.</p><p>"Uh- Excuse me?"</p><p>He tried to be as polite as he could, speaking quietly so that he didn't startle them. The figure shifted slightly. Confident that he wasn't speaking to a pile of trash bags, Felix continued, "Are you okay? Do you need something to eat? I'm sorry if I'm bothering you-"</p><p>Felix's sentence trailed off as the man rose up, his bulky body towering over him and making him close up in fear. He brought his hands up to put the bags in between himself and the stranger as a means of protection, but it didn't do much to calm his nerves. The man took a step forward, his rough face now visible in the white moonlight. Felix's hands were shaking. "U-Um, I'm sorry, I can just go..."</p><p>He tried to take a step back, but froze when his back hit something that was much closer to him than the wall of the alleyway was. He spun around, and a hand came up to his shoulder to stop him from running away, which he so desperately wanted to do. He cringed away from the looming figure, aware of the man moving behind him. He tried to say something, but he had no idea how to get himself out of this situation. His eyes watered as the second man's mouth twisted into a grin, so close that he could feel his hot breath on his neck.</p><p>"What do we have here?" The man spoke lowly and quietly, Felix couldn't recognise his dialect. He felt a full-body shiver run over him, even though his coat protected himself from the Autumn breeze. He tried to stand up a little taller, until he felt a hand on his back from the first man, and he realised the helpless position he was in.</p><p>He tried not to stutter, "I- I was just wondering if he was okay..."</p><p>He heard an undignified snort from behind him, "I'm 'bout to be better pretty boy. What's in the bags?"</p><p>Felix held out the bags with shaky hands, "Take it, it's just snacks, please take it all."</p><p>The bags were snatched from his grip, but the hands still remained on his body. He tried to twist away, but they only tightened, the man in front of him tilting his head. "What else have you got for us?" His hand lowered down his body, making the younger boy violently flinch. He tried to take a step back, but he was sandwiched between the two foul-smelling men.</p><p>He tried to hold back the tears that were threating to spill down his cheeks as he reached his hand down to his back pocket, drawing out his wallet. He didn't fight back as their large hands were shoved into his other pockets, removing his phone and whatever else he had in there, lingering and groping around for too long. He couldn't help it when he felt a sob choke from his throat, dipping his head so that his muggers couldn't see his watery eyes. He brought his hands up to his chest to protect himself as his necklaces and rings were tugged off him, making him feel naked.</p><p><em>This could be worse,</em> he tried to convince himself. <em>They're going to leave me alone after this, they don't have a weapon, they're not going to hurt me...</em></p><p>He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a tug at his jeans and noticed his top button had been popped open. His hand flew down to rip the other man's grasp off him, looking up to meet his gaze with cold fear. He sucked in a breath, his body seizing up.</p><p>"Not this."</p><p>He tried to sound confident, like he was in any position to fight back against these men that were obviously no match for him. His eyebrows creased together, his jaw tightening. The man in front of him dropped the plastic bag from the convenience store, making Felix flinch at the sound of the glass bottles hitting the pavement, probably breaking at least one of them. In that moment he knew his fight was probably going to be futile, so he thought of the only thing that he was capable of in that moment. His eyes flicked over the figure, trying to take in as many details that he could, so he could describe the man to the police later. <em>If I even survive this,</em> he thought.</p><p>He couldn't remember what the first man that had been crouched on the floor looked like, only getting a quick glimpse at him before running into the second man. The second one had muddy brown eyes, his square face dirty with stubble and grime. His hair was black and greasy, falling over his red forehead and down to his shoulders. He smelled like a hot pile of garbage, but he had a feeling that if he told him this, he wouldn't make it very far. He tried to remember what kind of dialect his voice sounded like, in case that would give the police a better idea of where to find him.</p><p>He tried to fight back when he was dragged over to the garbage bin that he had passed earlier, but the hands on him were strong and relentless. His knees buckled as his back was pressed against the cold metal, but he was held up by the grip on his coat. He tried to brace himself for the first punch, but he couldn't anticipate it very well in the dark. He suddenly felt all of the air exit his lungs, gasping as the first man's fist connected with his stomach, making him feel like he was going to throw up. It was followed in quick succession by a second one, a third one, making him double over and heave as his eyes pricked with tears. He cried out as his hair yanked him up again, the next punch connecting with his upper cheek.</p><p>Felix had never been actually punched in the face before now. He felt disoriented, dizzy, the pain replaced by a different feeling of sickness and tiredness. He tried to stop his eyes from rolling back into his head as he caught his breath, his hands cradling his ribs that felt like they were rattling around inside his body. Both hands let him go, letting him fall to the cold pavement, too weak to hold himself up. He closed his eyes when he heard the sound of their pants unzipping, letting himself sob freely. He felt the wetness of blood dripping from where he was punched on his cheekbone, now mixing with the tears that were streaming down his face. He tried to curl himself up into a ball, but his limbs were yanked away from his chest and pinned in place against the ground by calloused hands.</p><p>He tried to scream, but something was shoved in his mouth, a piece of material or a rag.</p><p>There was nothing left he could do.</p><p>~*~</p><p>"He's taking a while, isn't he?"</p><p>Bang Chan was pacing in the lounge, his arm crossed, looking back towards the front door every so often. Changbin just rolled his eyes at him, shaking his head. "You need to stop worrying about him," he chastised, "he's an adult now, he can handle himself."</p><p>Chan's eyebrows creased. "But he's afraid of the dark..."</p><p>It had been too long since he had left. He thought about how the younger boy might have had to have taken the longer way to avoid media, but even so, it was approaching almost an hour since he had set off. <em>What if he's lost? What if he's freaked out because of the dark, and gone the wrong way?</em></p><p>He tried to sit back down on the couch, but he couldn't stop fidgeting.</p><p>"Maybe I'll go meet him half way, just to make sure."</p><p>He heard a tutting noise coming from the younger member as he got up from the couch. "You baby him too much."</p><p>Maybe he did, but Chan didn't think that was a bad thing. Ever since they'd been thrown together as trainees, he felt the need to protect the younger boy, like an older brother would do. He always stood up for him when he needed to, even when it was against their own management. He never even hesitated to do what was best for the younger, no matter who he had to fight his point with, even if it was JYP himself. If he had a little brother, he'd probably be exactly like his Felix.</p><p>Grabbing his coat and his keys, Chan made a quick bypass to his room to rummage through his draws, sneaking his emergency pepper-spray into his coat pocket. He probably didn't need it. He didn't know why he'd even bought it, maybe it was for situations like these, where there was a possibility that one of his members was in danger. He was pretty confident with his own strength and how hard he could swing a punch, but it was just for emergencies.</p><p>When he hit the pavement outside, he wished he'd grabbed a scarf on the way out. Winter was approaching, and although it wasn't snowing outside just yet, the air still had a bite of cold to it. He couldn't remember if Felix had taken a coat with him, he pictured the younger male shivering and afraid down one of the dark alleyways in front of him. His pace quickened.</p><p>He was about half-way to the convenience store when he heard it - muffled cries in the distance, that were unmistakably human, and sounds of feet scuffing on pavement. Whatever it was couldn't be good, Chan thought as his pace turned into a jog, his cold hands still jammed into the pockets of his coat. He rounded the corner and he saw it - a flash of blonde hair, <em>I thought Felix was wearing a beanie earlier?</em> Two figures looming over the blonde-haired boy on the floor who trying desperately to squirm away from them, his cries muffled by something that he couldn't make out. Was it one of their hands? Was it something they shoved in his mouth? As he got closer, and the moon moved out from the clouds to illuminate the scene, he could finally make out Felix's tear-streaked face between the figures, trying desperately to cover himself as his clothes were torn off his small body. Chan saw red.</p><p>He didn't think twice before grabbing a small metal trashcan from the side of the alley and heaving it with all of his strength at the closest cloaked figure, a loud sound ringing out as it connected with his head. He didn't stop to watch the first man hit the floor, and grabbing onto the second man to wrench him off the younger male. He'd caught the disgusting man in a moment of shock, which worked in his favour as he swung a punch, ignoring the pain in his knuckles as he hit the man's jaw <em>hard</em>. Before the figure could retaliate, he brought out his compact can of pepper spray and held it mere inches in front of his face as he could only look up in shock. Chan held down the trigger, sending the man screaming and shuffling back until he hit the alleyway wall, bringing his hands up to try and protect himself from the spray. Satisfied that he wasn't getting back up, he whipped around and sprayed the first man in the face in a similar fashion, stopping him from standing again as he curled into a ball and shielded himself from the assault.</p><p>He knew the pepper spray wouldn't hold them off forever. His brain working quickly, he scooped Felix up into his arms, trying to cover him with his coat as much as he could to keep him warm, the younger's coat left behind. He ran in the opposite direction of the dorm - in the direction of the main street, where he knew there were always police officers in front of the train station. Rounding the corner into the busy main street, he just hoped he wasn't recognised. The last thing he needed was to end up on some news article carrying around a traumatised and bleeding Felix. He headed straight for the police box next to the station, where a flustered-looking police officer met him out the front with just one glance at the younger male in his arms.</p><p>"He was assaulted, I pepper sprayed them-" Chan stumbled out in Korean, trying to catch his breath, "They should still be there, just left of the convenience store..."</p><p>The police officer nodded wordlessly, jogging towards the alleyway he had just emerged from, speaking into his radio. He was probably calling for backup, Chan hoped as he was approached by another officer. He was asked if they needed a paramedic, and despite the noises of protest from Felix, Chan nodded. He sat down on the stairs by the train station, holding Felix close to his chest, bundled up in his coat. He finally had the chance to look down at the younger male when his adrenaline started to wear off, and gently hooked a thumb under Felix's chin to assess the damage. He noticed a cut on his cheekbone, maybe from a ring that the assaulters were wearing when they punched him. His eyes were puffy from crying, but the eye closest to the cut seemed to be a darker red that would probably bruise into a black eye. He knew that cuts on the head and face bled more, and that something small could look really serious, so he didn't think too much about the amount of blood that had dripped down Felix's cheek.</p><p>Felix was looking up at him with watery eyes, his bottom lip trembling.</p><p>Chan sighed, finding his voice, trying to sound strong. "Where else does it hurt?"</p><p>The younger whimpered at the question, bringing his hands down between their bodies to rest on his torso, where his lower ribs where. Chan tugged at his shirt as a silent way of asking for permission, and let Felix pull it up the rest of the way with shaky hands, his fingers red with cold. Chan tried not to let it show on his face, but he sucked in a breath at the red and purple bruises already starting to bloom on the younger's body. "Yeah, you definitely need a paramedic 'lix, don't fight me on this."</p><p>He nodded shyly, fumbling with numb fingers to get his shirt back down. He tucked his head back under the older's chin, curling into his body like a cat. In different circumstances, Chan would have loved the action, but his chest ached at the thought of what had just happened to his Felix. <em>His younger brother</em>, who meant more to him than even a blood-related brother would.</p><p>Bringing his arms around the younger male to pull him impossibly closer to his body, he thought about how things could have been different. If only he himself had just suggested to go and get snacks for the other members, if only he'd have lost paper scissors rock, if only he'd have suggested to walk with Felix to keep him company on that cold night. He knew he'd never let the younger boy out of his sight again, especially to go off into the cold night on his own down winding alleyways in the dark- <em>what part of himself had just let Felix do that? How stupid could he be to not anticipate this?</em></p><p>Chan was dragged back out of his thoughts by the sounds of yelling across the street, and the footfalls of more police officers running over to assist the officers that had dragged the perpetrators out from the alleyway. Chan narrowed his eyes at the figures, taking in the view of their disgusting faces, twisted in frustration as their meaty hands were cuffed behind their backs. Felix looked up to see where the noise was coming from, but Chan used a hand to direct his face back down to his chest, not wanting him to see those men ever again if he could help it. The weight of the situation was starting to settle on him, and the thought of what was about to happen to Felix if he hadn't have shown up in time flashed in his mind. Chan blinked, shaking his head, huffing out a frustrated breath as he willed his tears back to where they came from before they spilled.</p><p>When the paramedics arrived, He didn't let go of the younger member until they were both seated inside the van and it took off towards the hospital, and he let the paramedics take over to examine him. He noticed the way Felix flinched when they lifted his shirt, and he tried not to think about how there was probably always going to be that part of trauma inside Felix's brain that stayed with him, the memories of such an awful night that would haunt him forever.</p><p>He didn't let himself cry until they reached the hospital and Felix was taken out of sight.</p><p>~*~</p><p>"You're on the front page."</p><p>Chan blinked up at his manager at the greeting, and a newspaper was playfully slapped down into his lap. His manager almost sounded angry, but the gentle smile on his face didn't match his tone.</p><p>"Hello to you too, manager-nim."</p><p>It had been a long night at the hospital, and he hadn't seen Felix since they arrived just after midnight. He'd spoken to a few police officers about what had happened, and he was told the younger man was being looked after, but he thought about how scared and alone he was feeling in that moment and longed to do nothing more than to be by his side.</p><p>His manager continued, "There was media on the street last night, they snapped a photo of you cradling an injured Felix in your arms and running towards the station, then later they got a photo of two meat-heads getting arrested."</p><p>"Well, that sums up the story pretty well, I hope no one asks me any more questions about it," Chan huffed, already knowing he'd have to repeat the story to several reporters and JYP staff members to settle things. As soon as he'd gotten to the hospital, he called his manager to explain the situation, who relayed the story to his members so that they weren't left in the dark wondering why the two hadn't gotten home yet.</p><p>Briefly glancing at the photo of himself on the front of the newspaper, Chan sighed. It clearly showed the panic on his face, and you could barely see a streak of red blood from the boy who was bundled close to his chest, but they had definitely captured the moment. 'Idol Hero-Chan Saves Fellow Australian Member Felix from Violent Assault', it read. It could be worse, he thought. He definitely didn't see himself as a hero in that moment, in fact he thought of himself as a complete idiot for not preventing any of it from happening in the first place. He gazed at the second photo of the assaulters in cuffs, looking pretty miserable with pepper spray all over their faces. The near-empty can still sat in the pocket of Chan's coat.</p><p>It was about an hour later that he was permitted to visit Felix, the younger having been looked over and tended to, almost ready to be sent home. He peered around the curtain carefully, assessing the state that the younger member was in before stepping up to his bed. He winced to himself, hating the sight before him. He hoped he never had to see Felix in a hospital bed ever again, looking too pale under the florescent lights, exaggerating the bruise on his cheekbone. His lips looked chapped, like he had been gnawing at them in worry. The younger male looked up at Chan at the end of the bed with big doe eyes, still looking a little shaken up from the whole ordeal, his arms wrapped protectively around himself. Chan carefully manoeuvred himself around the bed and took a seat beside Felix, not sure what to say, how to start. <em>Are you okay</em> seemed like a dumb question, because at this stage, he clearly wasn't.</p><p>So he asked a question to completely distract him from the situation, "You hungry 'lix? Have they been feeding you in here?" He tried to keep his tone light, to distract from the weight of everything.</p><p>As if on cue, the younger boy's stomach made a rumbling noise, making his cheeks turn red as their eyes met. Chan couldn't help himself, he huffed out a laugh and broke out into a warm smile which Felix returned coyly.</p><p>The younger shrugged, "I had a sandwich, but I could go for a big bowl of ramen..." He replied quietly, rubbing his tummy to diffuse the noise.</p><p>Chan took his small hand in his own, rubbing his thumb over it in soothing circles. "I'll make you ramen at home."</p>
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